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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1885)
294 THE WEST SHORE. xi'iit (jiliHiiimi for every American who uuty twtt his fxt iiniii tliiMi iniw liiUlilH chores. Kiiiik! of their JXK'ts have ininii.rUilii'd liix nam in veiw. Shb nn-of tlipm: " 1 wilii (iji k(M-ti, kono kuiiino fujinotnka neno Ytikiwo ruin mN-rruri." TraimlaU'd th m raads: "The mighty (ki iiii fronting, huh it merely to Im'Ii(i1(I tho snow-capped Mak of tliirt ttiuntry's xmtIchh mountain, Perry?" This honor, liim liy ansei-ting that hn did not cross tho oconn for the pleamire of viewing tho holy mountain, Fuji Yninn, in the eyes of tho Japauoso tho most delightful night iu tho world, but on nn errand of gixxl to them of fur gwitr iinjxirtaiico. y thus linkiug his name with thin holy mountain thoy did him grantor honor than could bo oxproHwsl in any othor way. Fuji Yama is of aWit tho .auto hoight and projx.rtioiiH as Mount Itninior, nml alxwt an far wont of Yodo Pay a tho latter iH oast of Ommneomoiit Hoy. Ho striking is tho roHomblnnce that Japanese who visit Puget Sound at once call Kainior tho "Americ.au Fuji Yama." AtU trying in vain ovory mannnr of stratcgom, sub U'rfugn, deceit and throat, evon going to tho oxtramo of thra.it4.ning to commit suicide iixm tho dockH because of inability to amnnplish their master's wihIioh, tho officials Ix-gati Ui relent Thoy agreed to Hiipply tho fleet with provisions, wood and water, but would not linU-n to the ido of receiving recomx.nsfl or being boholdou to those luitwl iuvadoni for anything. Perry promptly rejected bII such offers, and thoy were givon to understand that not a chicken, ogg nor in.Uit. would lx. received without a fair ouid j,ra quo Ix.ing given in return. This wag donit InvauHo the Comimxlore would not allow them the Mtiafnrtion of having exhibited a HiiM.riority by giving him something. Nut by tho alighted act would ho admit liiii.Hi.lf inferior to their highest dignibirios. He was extremely ireful U mako no unjust demands; but when ever ho nttmpUnl anything ho went at it in the nioHt direct manner, heedless alike of prolyl or menace. Hi. Invincibility nd tho urbanity of his treatment of all viH.U.r. KNin 04,uvino4sl th,.ln that he was a greater man than any other "ouU.do barbarian" who had over dared to M f.Kj upon tho sacred il of the Land of tho Gods Day after day, a. the (ot maneuvered ..i,,. tho b ' . .'"'" ''W" official, ware sent from Yedo to T,.,t II, "Great Admiral," a. they afterwards fomly called h.. None of those were granted a night of the Oom.no, ora, but were entertained with tho greaUt cour Ujr by b,. .....ordinate officers, lK,ig received on Ixmrd w.th all tho K,mp ad military diHplay of which tho fM !M "U "titim. were direct! by the Gnm. lore iu ,., from lK.hi.ul a .croon, where he cmld .mmieat f raely with hi. officer.. At last, convince" hat tin. ,, being . even more ,,oworful tlmi their own divine ruler, it w dido.1 to del,. roya jrhM la viHit linn and .ive tho IWkif. Ihu. 0.mm,Klore Terry won the .uinloa. Uurcl of R bhxHll, ticU.ry, unW the ,K.rU of that hermit cm! , . and utroduoed it to the civilisation of the nine Unth century. None Bow rejoice more in hi. U00ttW Uwj do the JaiwncM thetnK(. The commissioners thus appointed represented the Shmjun (Tykun), who had for many years succeeded in representing himself to Caucasian nations as tho real Emperor ofJapan. About five hundred years previous to the timo 'of Perry's visit the actual rulers, known as the " TciihIU" (Son of Heaven), or Mikado ( Holy Gate), hud begun the practice of appointing Shoynns (literally Governors General), who should lift from the imperial shoulders the burden and responsibility of government Gradually this custom took such deep root that the Sho gun became the actual ruler, and the sacred " Son of Heaven " abandoned all thoughts of government, and, if an effeminate man, gave himself up to the writing of versos, the cultivation of his flower gardens and other equally unofficial pursuits, or, if endowed with greater mental force or public spirit, directed his attention to the advancement of science and art, and to domestio im provements for the good of his people and enrichment of the empire. In the more primitive times the Mikados in person led forth the troops to battle, but in later times the Shoguns were sent out in command of the armies. Thus the Shoguns gained complete control of the empire. All the revenues fell into their hands, and all the princes and their retainers became subject to them. This supreme governor hnd all the actual power, it being necessary for him only to make a show of obedience and reverence to the "Holy Gate," who was still regarded by the people as tho representative of the Gods of Heaven, the earthly descendant of the greatest of them all. Such being the religious faith of the people and their revoronce townrd their unbroken line of rulers for more than throe thousand years, the Shogun, while exercising all the real power, binding and loosing princes at will, was compelled to be circumspect in his conduct toward this "Son of Heavon." Wheuover a new Shogun came into power, he was obliged by custom to accept an investiture of office at the handB of the Mikado, and afterwards to pay occasional visits of adoration to this sacred descend ant of the gixk Yet this submission was but nominal, for he not only held full political control of the affairs of the empire, but appointed every dotnil of the imperial palace iUelf, holding the "Son of Heaven" in abject financial dependence upon him. By harping continually ujxin the chord of divine lineage, the Shogun kept this august jHtrsonage in a perpetual seclusion even more complete than was that of Trince Russelos in the Happy Valley of Amharo, allowing him only his harem and such simple pleasures as would best serve to make him con tentod with his lot and keep him. ignorant of the oufcido world. Thus the Shogun ruled supreme at Yedo (now Tokio, eighteen milos from Yokohama. The word w rMo, fro,u ye, river, and do, gate), while the holy "Son of Heaven" was immured in the imperial palace at Kioto, the nominal capital of the empire, some throe hundred niilea to the westward When, about three ccn tunes ago, the Portuguese, Dutch and others visited JajMin, thPy were informed that the Emperor resided at ledo, and ail their negotiations were carried on at that oourl Lator, aome 250 years ago, when the Eomish